How Will SpaceX Starship Overcome This Crucial Problem?

SpaceX’s Starship is an engineering marvel knocking off one challenge at a time before we can see them design solutions to the future challenges. Here is the question. With the LOX and CH4 storage and temperature challenges, how can they store them together for long periods of time. Indeed, How Will SpaceX Starship Overcome This Problem? Secondly, how with they solve Zero Boiloff (or near zero boiloff). For the past few months now we’ve been working on this deep dive which started off as one thing, and then morphed into another. Mainly due to it sending us down a few rabbit holes. Because we are on a short break, we’ve worked twice as hard to make sure this one was finally ready to go, and I think you are going to find this one really interesting.

👕Like this shirt? Pick it up on any product you like here.
and also on darker colors if you prefer

You can support me on:

The production crew:
GameplayReviewUK, TiagoCruz, Mr Pleasant, Virtu, Orbitly, Shaun Gisler

Support from the below is always massively appreciated:

Set models:

3D artist magicians:

[holographic_red]

4 minutes in the video and it blows my mind imagining all the steps, the years of years and people working on problems and patents and.. It just goes on. Thanks for the video Marcus

[wolfgang]

Ah, Saturday afternoon sat down with a cup of tea and a biscuit, and the latest video from Marcus. Pure joy. Life is good.

[brandyballoon]

7:34 I'm trying to wrap my brain cells around 5 tons per second fuel flow 🤯

[MikesTropicalTech]

Thanks for this deep dive. I didn't understand how those sub-chillers work, but it makes so much sense now.

[doncogswell]

Marcus...well done. You always make the difficult easier to understand. I think in the not too distant future, all propulsion will be replaced by something we haven't even thought of yet.

[andrewrozario]

I love the periodic Marcus House deep dive videos! Some of my favorites.

[PDLM]

Wow! That piping is a piece of art! What an engineering nightmare the people that figured this out are definitively amazing.

[colonbina]

Mind-blowing! Thanks for this deep dive

[totally_lost]

Hi Marcus ... KISS engineering based on 1st principles yields very simple solutions to these problems.

Keep both propellants at different pressures so the boiling points are identical, and solve the freezing point problem by design (IE they both ARE NOT 6 bar).

In large tanks convection induced natural pumping between the hot side and cold sides of the tank in space will provide a passive version of active cooling by design (E convection circulation inside the liquids).

Either a solar electric, or thermal "steam" engine, can provide an active compression pump to recondense propellants back to liquid form from boil off, simply using "free energy" from the environments temperature differentials. Clearly the best part is no part, if other solutions are enough.

Tumble/roll/spin the craft in space to balance average temps on surfaces, while choosing the best side to the sun when landing on the surface of the moon and mars.

Pointing the aft engine bay into the sun, exposes different and CRITICAL engine parts to extreme temp differences and thermal gradients - Much better to choose pointing the nose into the sun when the solar energy is spread across a MUCH larger area, where thermal differences and thermal gradients have very little impact on the craft. The nose end is already designed for these gradients due to reentry plasma, the engine end less so with smaller tubes/wires that lack thermal mass to absorb high temps.

[lawrencerubanka]

I think this is one of your best videos. Your explanations and discussions of the challenges and possible solutions were very interesting. Thanks for your excellent content!

[gregedmand]

Never forget that the best insulation is a vacuum. I would not be at all surprised to discover it is used at certain points in Starship and booster construction.

[martinkolar]

Love the new format! Learning about fundamental rocket science with so many actual examples and great footage is much better than learning about the latest girder or truck that was moved in Boca Chica

[johnpagan]

Thanks for all the engineering details. I was able to follow the explanations and appreciate the challenges.
Great job!

[mcontreras]

Wonderful presentation no irony comments or double standards suggestions. No reusable videos that made you tired to see them again and again. Really like this channel 😊

[gilbhedy]

Love your humility Marcus... This one was eye opener for me. Your explanation is very appreciated.

[StromGarage]

Very nice physics "deep" dive. I really enjoyed it. It's the difference between "just" space news and technical background that makes me like your channel so much ❤

[totallylegityoutubeperson]

Fantastic explanation of the tank farm process. My hat is off to you.

[Cookie-cnjc]

Great explanations. Incredible complexity.

[marcwilkins]

Thank you Marcus for calling covering this topic. Very informative and allows me to understand the design challenges that SpaceX is facing!

[SpontaneousIntrospections]

Really love your deep dive format/approach on these focus videos, this one especially seemed to take us right along the pathway of problem solving and the pressure differential gave me a lightbulb moment too! Hope you're enjoying your well earned break, thanks for keeping us "fed" while you're away!!